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Detailed, Quality Dentistry Our Services New Patient Exams Dental Cleanings Emergency Dentistry Tooth Colored Fillings Crowns and Bridges with 3D Scanner Tooth Extractions (Removal) Dentures and Partials Root Canals Crowns and Bridges Attached to Implants Dentures and Partials Attached to Implants Children Dentistry Dental Sealants Cosmetic Dentistry Tooth Whitening Jaw Pain Snoring and Sleep Apnea Cosmetic Dentistry Content Coming Soon - Check Back November 2025 This is a Brand New Website and it is not quite finished yet. Thanks for your patience. If you have any questions about services please call us and we would be happy to answer them for you!

Detailed, Quality Dentistry Our Services New Patient Exams Dental Cleanings Emergency Dentistry Tooth Colored Fillings Crowns and Bridges with 3D Scanner Tooth Extractions (Removal) Dentures and Partials Root Canals Crowns and Bridges Attached to Implants Dentures and Partials Attached to Implants Children Dentistry Dental Sealants Cosmetic Dentistry Tooth Whitening Jaw Pain Snoring and Sleep Apnea Dentures and Partials Sometimes a tooth can not be saved and needs to be removed (see Tooth Removal Page ). When this happens there are several options: 1) Leave a space or gap where the tooth was 2) Replace the tooth or teeth with Dental Implants (Learn More Here ) 3) Replace the tooth or teeth with a Dental Bridge (Learn More Here ) 4) Replace the missing tooth or teeth with a Partial (a "Partial Plate") or replace all the top or bottom teeth with a Denture (a "Full Plate"). This is what we talk about here. 5) You can also attach a Partial or Denture to Dental Implants to make them more stable (Learn More Here ) Partial ("Partial Denture" or "Partial Plate") What is a Partial? When some of the top teeth, or some of the bottom teeth are missing a Partial can be made to replace those teeth A Partial rests on your gums and teeth, and has hooks that wrap around your remaining teeth to hold the partial in place There are several different materials we can use to make a Partial. (see pictures below) If only one or two teeth are missing we may be able to make a flexable partial that has no metal in it If multiple teeth are missing, or teeth on oposite sides of the mouth are missing, it is usually best to make a metal based partial for increased streangth If the remaining teeth are weeker , we may make a non-metal partial even if you are missing multiple teeth in different areas of the mouth. These partials are usually easier to add additional teeth to in the future , if you loose more teeth How is a Partial made ? There are usually 5 appointments needed to get a Denture made correctly. It may be possible to skip some appointments depending on your situation. The first two appointments we will be getting impressions (or "molds") of your teeth The next two appointmeents are making sure that we know how your top and bottom teeth meet up with each other, and making sure that the Partial will fit correctly, and making sure it will look correct. The last appointment we will give the partial to you. Are Partials Hard to Get Used To? While your P artial Denture will be comfortable, and as stable as your remaining teeth allow it to be, it is a foreign object and will take some getting used to It will take some practice to learn how to Take it in and out Eat with it Clean it Some people need to practice speaking normally again (usually by reading a book out loud) The more you wear your partial, the quicker you will get used to the way it feels in your mouth How Long do Partials Last? Hopefully more th an 10 years. But it depends on a lot of factors, such as: What it is made of (metal, plastic, flexible plastic) What teeth are one it (front teeth are more likely to come off than back teeth) How hard you bite, and how your teeth come together How careful you are with it (often the reason they break is because they are dropped) If they break, they can usually be repaired, and the repair usually only takes one day Also, if you have problems wit h more of your natural teeth, we can usually remove the "trouble" tooth from your mouth, and add a plastic tooth to your partial to replace the tooth you had to have removed. For More Information, and for Instructions on " How to Take Care of a Partial", please look at the document below: Denture and Partial Denture Instructions Denture (or "Plate" or "Full Plate") What is a Denture ? W hen all the top teeth, or all of the bottom teeth, are missing they can be replaced with a Denture (or "Plate") A denture rests on your gums How is a Denture made? There are usually 6 appointments needed to get a Denture made correctly. Depending on your situation we may able to skip some appointments The first two appointments we will be getting impressions (or "molds") of your teeth The next two appointmeents are making sure that we know how your top and bottom teeth meet up with each other, and making sure that the Denture will fit correctly, and look correct . The last appointment we will give the Denture to you. Are Dentures Hard to Get Used To? While your Denture will be comfortable, and as stable as your gums allow it to be, it is a foreign object and will take some getting used to It will take some practice to learn how to Take it in and out Learn to eat with it Lean to clean it Some people need to practice speaking normally again (usually by reading a book out loud) The more you wear your Denture, the quicker you will get used to the way it feels in your mouth How Long do Dentures Last? Hopefully more than 10 years. But it depends on a lot of factors, such as: How hard you bite, and how your teeth come together How careful you are with it (often the reason they break is because they are dropped) If a denture breaks they can usually be repaired, and the repair usually only takes one day. For More Information, and for Instructions on " How to Take Care of a Denture", please look at the document below: Denture and Partial Denture Instructions What if I am going to be having my last teeth removed before getting my Denture? How long will I have to go without teeth? Almost always the answer is that you will not have to go without teeth. We generally are able to have the false teeth made beforehand so that we remove your last remaining teeth and then give you the false teeth to wear right after.

Detailed, Quality Dentistry Insurance Plans What Insurance plans do you accept? While this office is not, and never has been, considered "In Network" with any insurance provider, as a curtesy we file with any insurance. However a few insurance companies do not let us file with them (such as Medicaid). Insurances that we work with all the time include: Delta Dental Medicare Ameritas UHC Cigna UNUM Blue Cross Blue Shield and Many Others What is the difference between "In Network" and "Out of Network"? Going to a dentist that is "In Network" with your dental insurance means that your dentist agrees not to charge over a certain "Price Cap" for a specific procedure. If you go to a dentist that is "Out of Network" the patient is required to pay any amount that is over this "Price Cap". As long as our prices are below the "In Network Price Cap", it does not cost a patient any extra to come to us, even though we are Out of Network with your insurance. There are hundreds of different insurance plans out there, and they change their Price Caps all the time. But dozens of years of sending claims to insurance companies has taught us that we are below the Price Cap for practically every procedure for almost every insurance. Occasionally a patient has to pay $6 or so for a cleaning, or an extra $30 for a crown, or other similar amounts. But for most patients, and most insurance plans, the amount you pay at our office will be the same as you would pay for an In Network Dentist . Some known exceptions are listed below: We are not In Network with Medicaid (we are not a "Medicaid Provider"). Any patients with Medicaid Insurance would have to pay the full price for any Treatment. Delta DPPO plans refuse to pay any amount towards your dental work in our office (because we are Out of Network). You would have to pay the full price for any Treatment. When Am I Expected to Pay for my Dental Appointment? Just like at the grocery store, all payment is expected at the time of service. If you have a dental insurance, we only ask that you pay the amount that your dental insurance is not expected to cover . There are some exceptions to this rule depending on your particular insurance companies policies How Much does Dental Insurance Usually Cover? While every insurance is different, the amounts below are what Dental Insurance generally cover Preventative (cleanings, exams, x-rays) - 90-100% Basic Fillings - 70-80% Crowns or Bridges - 40-50% Root Canals - 70-80% Dentures and Partials - 70-80% Tooth Removal (Extractions) 50%-70% Cosmetic - 0% What Else Should I Know about Dental Insurance? A few things you may like to know about dental insurance. Generally there is a "Waiting Period " after you get dental insurance. This is a period of time when they will not pay for any "major" work. For a crown, this period is usually one year. So they usually will not pay anything towards a crown unless you have had the insurance for more than a year. Most insurances have a "Missing Tooth Clause ". If you were missing a particular tooth BEFORE you had the insurance, they will NOT pay to replace the tooth. You have to have the insurance at the time the tooth is lost in order for the insurance to put any money towards replacing that tooth.

Detailed, Quality Dentistry Our Services New Patient Exams Dental Cleanings Emergency Dentistry Tooth Colored Fillings Crowns and Bridges with 3D Scanner Tooth Extractions (Removal) Dentures and Partials Root Canals Crowns and Bridges Attached to Implants Dentures and Partials Attached to Implants Children Dentistry Dental Sealants Cosmetic Dentistry Tooth Whitening Jaw Pain Snoring and Sleep Apnea Dental Cleanings The first time you come to our office our Dental Hygienist will assess your gum health. After that we will re-assess your gum health every 12 - 18 months. There are 4 different types of cleanings that we perform in our office based off of your individual needs. A regular "healthy mouth" cleaning Most common for those that are up to date with their dental appointments: for most people this is a 6-month interval. For thoes who want to know, the technical name for this is a "Prophylaxis", and the dental code is D1110 for adults, and D1120 for kids. A "medium" cleaning This is for those who have not been to the dentist for a while who (1) have a lot of buildup on their teeth and irritated gums but (2) do NOT have any bone loss (or at least very little bone loss). The technical name for this is "Scaling in the Presence of Gingivitis" and the dental code for this is D4346 Generally, a "catch-up" cleaning is done about 6 weeks later to get any residue and to help the gums heal (a "Prophylaxis" cleaning) A "deep cleaning" This is for those who have not been to the dentist for a while who (1) have a lot of buildup on their teeth and irritated gums and (2) DO have bone loss. When we have buildup on our teeth for extended periods of time the gums get irritated, but, more importantly, the bone actually disappears from around our teeth (moving away from the bacteria). This bone loss is permanent (in almost all cases). In rare cases bone grafting can be done to try to get some bone back around the roots of the teeth. To remove all the excess buildup that is deep under the gums we generally have to get the gums numb. We usually do this in two separate visits (one half of the mouth at a visit). The technical name for this is "Periodontal Scaling and Root Planing" and the dental code is D4341 or D4342 (depending on the number of teeth involved). For a whole mouth the code D4341 would be submitted to insurance 4 times, once for each fourth of the mouth. This is so that if a person only needs 1/4 of their mouth deep cleaned they can have a lower fee than someone who has to have their whole mouth deep cleaned. This is not my system; it is how every office has to do it by law. After a deep cleaning is done "maintenance" cleanings are now needed (see below) A "maintenance" cleaning When bone is lost from around teeth, which is what made the deep cleaning necessary in the first place, there is now a pocket, or a permanent bacteria trap, between the gums and the tooth. This makes things harder to keep clean at home, and harder to get cleaned during dental visits. For this reason, after a deep cleaning more frequent dental cleanings are now needed (usually every 3-4 months), and the dental cleaning now has a different name, and actually cost more. The technical name is "Peroidontal Maintenance" and the dental code is D4910 Other types of cleaning s There are actually more types of cleaings. If your bone loss is severe, we may refer you to a specalist (called a "Periodontist") for an exam and possible cleanings in their office. For a lot of really detailed information on gum disease you can check out the American Dental Association website here

Detailed, Quality Dentistry Our Services New Patient Exams Dental Cleanings Emergency Dentistry Tooth Colored Fillings Crowns and Bridges with 3D Scanner Tooth Extractions (Removal) Dentures and Partials Root Canals Crowns and Bridges Attached to Implants Dentures and Partials Attached to Implants Children Dentistry Dental Sealants Cosmetic Dentistry Tooth Whitening Jaw Pain Snoring and Sleep Apnea Emergency Dentistry No one likes to be in pain, or to be worried about their mouth or teeth. We can get tooth pain for multiple reasons see the FAQ Page for a complete discussion. During an emergency appointment you can expect the following: We will ask you questions to learn about the problem We will take any needed dental x-rays The doctor will perform an exam and ask any additional questions We will get a game plan for how to move forward If there is time , we will address the issue. But this appointment is really to get a game plan. We do not know if your problem will take 2 minutes to resolve or take a 2-hour appointment. Rather than blocking out 2 hours for every emergency appointment, and then having to charge for a 2-hour appointment, we do a short emergency exam so that we can schedule the appropriate time length to address your issues. If there is a dental infection, at a minimum an antibiotic can be given to you to get you out of pai n This is also not an exam to look at multiple teeth or multiple issues . To do that you need a comprehensive exam - or a "new patient" exam (click here ) Do we always come to a conclusion about the problem? The short answer is "no". Sometimes dental issues can be complex. For example: sinus issues, clenching and grinding (click here for more info), and even heart attacks can make your teeth hurt. So it can take some time to figure out what is going on. We do not want to treat a tooth that does not need any help! Sometimes with mild, non-specific, pain the best thing to do is to wait! Sometimes if we simply wait a week or two the problem will resolve on its own (or get a little worse so that we can determine what the actual problem is). Any follow-up visits to determine the true cause of your dental issue are FREE. We will not charge you multiple times just because it took us two visits to determine the cause of the problems.

Detailed, Quality Dentistry Our Services New Patient Exams Dental Cleanings Emergency Dentistry Tooth Colored Fillings Crowns and Bridges with 3D Scanner Tooth Extractions (Removal) Dentures and Partials Root Canals Crowns and Bridges Attached to Implants Dentures and Partials Attached to Implants Children Dentistry Dental Sealants Cosmetic Dentistry Tooth Whitening Jaw Pain Snoring and Sleep Apnea Children Dentistry Does Your Office see Kids? Yes, we see kids of all ages At What Age Should I First Bring My Child to the Dentist? We see kids as young as 18 months (or as soon as they have their first tooth). Please have them come in for their first visit no later than age 3. It is important to bring kids to the dentist when they are this young to help them get used to the environment. Starting visits when they are young really helps things go smoother when we need to start doing things like getting x-rays or placing preventative Dental Sealants What Procedures Are Done for Kids In Your Office? We do almost any procedure on kids including Cleanings Dental Sealants Tooth Colored Fillings Crowns on Baby Teeth Baby Tooth Root Canals Tooth removal We often use Laughing Gas on younger children Do You Ever Send Kids to a Pediatric Dentist? Yes We want every kid to have a great experience at the dentist, and sometimes that means sending them to a specialist I feel like we do really well with kids here, we have done plenty of fillings on 5 and even 4 year olds, but sometimes kids just need an environment that is completely tailored to them. The last thing we want is for a kid to have a traumatic experience and to not want to return to the dentist, sometimes this means that I ask them to see a specialistfor their treatment. When Do I Let My Child Brush Their Own Teeth? Well, the correct question should be "When do I let my child Floss and brush their own teeth?" But I will let it slide, just this once Okay, so the answer to the question: Kids can brush and floss all they like at any age. BUT we also need an adult to brush their teeth once a day untill about age 7 or 8 , (see AAPD website ) We also need an adult to floss their teeth once a day until about age 8 . - It depends on the maturity of the kids. (see AAPD website ) One good way to get your child used to a toothbrush is to give them and Extra Soft toothbrush as a chew toy as a baby (under very close supervision as they can gag themselves). This helps them get used to the feeling of it in their mouth. How Much Toothpaste Should I use for my Child? What Kind of Toothpaste Should I Use for My Child? Please use a fluorideToothpaste for your child. Fluoride has been proven over and over to be safe, and to decrease the amount of cavities by 25% (See ADA website ) For kids under the age of 3, use only a grain or rice amount of fluoride toothpaste - twice a day (see the AAPD website ) For kids ages 3-6 use about a pea size of fluoride toothpaste - twice a day For kid ages 6 to adult - a pea size of fluoride toothpaste is still enough - twice a day What Causes Cavities and How do I Prevent them for my Child? Click here to see the discussion on this topic

Our Services New Patient Exams Dental Cleanings Emergency Dentistry Tooth Colored Fillings Crowns and Bridges with 3D Scanner Tooth Extractions (Removal) Dentures and Partials Root Canals Crowns and Bridges Attached to Implants Dentures and Partials Attached to Implants Children Dentistry Dental Sealants Cosmetic Dentistry Tooth Whitening Jaw Pain Snoring and Sleep Apnea Dental Sealants What are Dental Sealants? Some of our teeth have grooves in them (usually the 16 back teeth). Depending on the person these grooves may be shallow or deep. Deep groves can be difficult or impossible for the toothbrush to adequately clean making them at high risk for cavities Dental Sealants reduce cavities in the chewing surface of these teeth by 80%. (ADA Website ) Who do you Recommend Gets Dental Sealants? Most dental offices routinely recommend Dental Sealants on 6 year and 12 year molars on kids. This is becacuse (1) Teeth are actually more suspectable to cavities the first few years they are in your mouth and (2) kids are generally not as good at brushing their teeth. At our office we also routinely recommend dental sealants for adults when the grooves in their teeth are very deep. usually judge how well the toothbrush is able to clean the grooves in your teeth by how much stain is in the grooves of your teeth. If the grooves are very dark and stained, the toothbrush is having a hard time cleaning them out, and we would recommend Dental Sealants as a preventative measure. (please see the examples below)

Detailed, Quality Dentistry Frequently Asked Questions What is a Crown? What is a Partial? What is a Bridge? What is a Root Canal? To learn more about these topics, and other dental procedures, please visit our Services Page and click on the Dental Service on the left Why Does My Tooth Hurt? Bruised Tooth Abscessed Tooth Clenching or Grinding Sinus Issues Why Does My Tooth Hurt? There are many reasons why a tooth may hurt. Recently done Dental Work It is not uncommon for a tooth, your gums, or even your jaw to be sore after dental work is done. If this is mild, and only for a few days there is nothing to worry about. Feel free to take some Tylenol, Ibuprofen, or other pain medication to help with the pain. If the pain is jaw pain (from your mouth being open so long) usually Ibuprofen, or another NSAID medication is the most helpful thing to take. Please call us: If the pain is severe (aching or throbbing, or hurting all on its own) The tooth feels "too tall" or like it hits first when you bite your teeth together We may need to adjust the filling Sometimes the tooth may be telling us that the filling is too large for it, and that the tooth prefers a crown If it has been over a week and the tooth is still sensitive Some teeth just take longer to heal, but please let us take a look to make sure nothing needs to be done For your information, all follow up appointments are FREE , so please don't let that stop you from calling us "Bruised" Tooth Sometimes teeth will hurt, and we can't figure out why. Rather than jumping into doing treatment like Root Canals and Crowns, the best thing is often to just wait a few weeks. Generally the tooth will just get better all on its own (the "bruise" heals). Occasionally things get worse, and we are then able to localize the problem and come up with a solution. If you have any concerns please call us to set up an appointment. For your information, patients who are up to date on their dental cleanings get FREE emergency visits between cleaning appointments. So please feel free to call us! Cracked Tooth Cracked teeth can be tricky because they don't all act the same way Some things that lead us to believe a tooth may be cracked are the following: Pain when you chew, especially sharp pain A large filling, accompanied with pain when you chew Sometimes the crack is actually visible, if it is we will try to get a camera picture of it for you to see it too We also have a special "bite stick" here that helps us find out if a tooth is cracked If a tooth is cracked, a Filling is usually NOT the solution. The solution is often a Crown , that will go 360° around the tooth to hold the tooth together so that the crack cannot get bigger. Teeth that hurt when you chew could also due to being Bruised , Abscessed , due to Clenching or Grinding , or due to Sinus Issues Abscessed Tooth An Abscessed tooth would generally have the following Symptoms: The main give away is a tooth that hurts All By Itself. Meaning you are not eating, clenching, or putting anything cold or hot on it and the tooth is aching. Sometimes this will wake you up at night Sometimes a tooth that wakes you up at night may NOT be abscessed , but it may hurt, and wake you up, because you are clenching or grinding your teeth in your sleep. Other symptoms of a possibly abscessed tooth MAY include: The tooth hurts when chewing, or possibly just by touching it with your finger or tongue The tooth my have a sharp pain to cold temperatures that continues to hurt for over 10 seconds after the cold is taken off of the tooth The tooth may have a sharp pain to hot temperatures - and sipping cold water may help it feel better Sometimes an Abscessed Tooth will be VERY painful for a few days, and then go away . This pain is likely to come back in a few days or weeks if the Abscessed Tooth is not delt with An abscessed tooth will often show up on a dental x-ray as having a shadow around the root of the tooth Clenching or Grinding (usually while asleep) Many people Clench or Grind there teeth, either while they are awake or when they are asleep. Studies usually show that about 10% of people Clench or Grind their teeth in their sleep. We can Clench or Grind 5 to 7 times harder when we are asleep. So it is usually night time Clenching or Grinding that causes damage to our teeth Clenching or grinding can cause Tooth Ware, Tooth Chipping, Tooth Cracking, and Tooth Pain VERY OFTEN there are no symptoms when someone Clenches or Grinds their teeth. But if there are symptoms, they may look like this: Often if a person has mild pain on multiple teeth when chewing Often the pain will be present for a few days, then go away for a few days or weeks, then come back. This is because many of us only grind our teeth for a few nights a month, and our teeth are only sore after we have been grinding Often symptoms can be similar to Sinus Problem Symptoms (see below) For mild issues with Clenching or Grinding a soft over-the-counter Nightguard works well. A Soft Nightguard helps prevent ware from teeth rubbing against teeth One our patients love is called "The Doctors Nightguard". Here is a link to it on Amazon (I do not make any commission) For moderate or severe cases of Clenching or Grinding a custom made Nightguard is best. A Hard Nightguard helps prevent ware on your teeth as well as damage such as chipping and cracking of teeth This Guard is made from molds you get in our office. The first visit we get molds of your teeth, the second visit we fit the guard to your teeth. Sinus Problems The sinus' are close to the roots of teeth so sinus infections can make our teeth hurt. Usually this would include multiple teeth hurting, often a sharp pain that hurts when we bite our teeth together. Usually it would be the upper back teeth that hurt, but it could be the upper front teeth and occasionally the bottom teeth that hurt. If we suspect that this is the cause of your tooth pain we can prescribe an antibiotic Cyst or other Pathology It is uncommon, but cysts or other bone, soft tissue, or connective tissue problems could make our teeth hurt Nerve issues can also make our teeth hurt These issues can occasionally be difficult to diagnose. If you are experiencing tooth pain, please call us to make an appointment. Please read about out Emergency Exams to know what to expect when you come in. Do You Treat Patients With Dental Anxiety? In short, "Yes", every day. There are many, many people that have dental anxiety. We have found that for most of these patients all they really need is someone who will actually take time to listen them, explain things to them, and help them make choices about their dental health (and make sure they are numb before doing any work!). For those who need a little extra help, we offer: Laughing Gas Laughing gas helps people relax during their dental visit. You will be aware of what is happening to you, but you will not really care about what is happening. You will be happy with anything that is going on. Laughing Gas (Nitrous Oxide) is very safe. It has been used for more than 150 years Laughing Gas only takes two and a half minutes to wear off, so you can drive yourself home after your procedure To use Laughing Gas we put an apparatus over your nose so that you breath in a mixture of laughing gas and oxygen Valium For those who need a little more relaxation, we can prescribe a pill (Valium) that you take before coming to the dentist. This will make you sleepy and very relaxed You WILL NEED A DRIVER to take you to the dentist appointment and to take you home, as you cannot drive after taking valium Some people will take Valium and then also use Laughing Gas What if I Need Even More Help For some, they need even more help. If you need to be "Put to Sleep" for your dental procedure we refer to Blue Wolf Dental . Dr. Redmond has done extra training to do "Conscious Sedation". You will fall asleep, and wake up with your dental work complete. Laughing Gas What Causes Cavities and How Do I Prevent Them? What Causes Cavities? Sugar. That is the answer. Here's how it works: 1) Bacteria are sheltered under a thin layer of "dental plaque". Plaque is made by the bacteria and it is that white stuff you can scrape off of your teeth, especially after eating surgery foods. 2) Every time we Eat or Drink something, other than water, the bacteria in our mouths take the sugar (and to a smaller extent the starch) and turn it into acid (during their own digestive processes). 3) The acid is trapped between the plaque and your teeth, effectively bathing your tooth in acid. 4) The acid is usually against our tooth The Whole Time We are Eating and for about 30 minutes after eating. 5) Our tooth will now get weakened by the acid (a process called demineralization) 6) Our Spit has calcium and other minerals in it to strengthen our teeth. After an "acid attack" our spit works hard to undo what the acid did (a process called remineralization) 7) This process happens over and over every time we eat How Do I Prevent Getting Cavities? In nutshell. To prevent Cavities: 1) Only eat 3 meals a day, no snacking 2) Floss and Brush your teeth very well every day. I don't even care if you eat a moderate amount of sugar, if you do the above you will be fine (assuming you don't have limited spit in your mouth (called Xerostomia or "Dry Mouth") or very rare disorders with your teeth) The Big Causes of Cavities Big Cause of Cavities #1) Eating or drinking more than 3 times a day. Including : Snacking Grazing Sipping on coffee or tea or soda all day Sugar free soda is actually more acidic than regular soda, but it usually leads to "acid erosion" of teeth rather than cavities Sucking on hard candy (sugar free or xylitol are fine) Snacking all day makes so that you have acid on your teeth All Day Long . And your spit can not re-strengthen your teeth fast enough. You will get cavities. Some tips: Drink your soda or eat your bag of chips all at once, not over a 2 hour period of time. Better yet, eat or drink it WITH a meal With Cavities it is Not how much you eat, but how often you eat that really matters. If you must snack, snacking on non-starchy vegetables will cause a lot less problems because the bacteria have a much harder time turning any of this to acid Big Cause of Cavities #2) Not Flossing and Brushing, or Not Flossing and Brushing well After about age 16, around 70% of the cavities I see are Where the Floss Goes. So, if you only have time for one, you should floss. (But really, you have time for both, I know you do) Some tips: When Flossing, Floss the Teeth, Not the Space . Sounds simple, but think about it. Flossing is not just getting the chunks of food from between our teeth. We have to floss that Dental Plaque stuff off! To do this the floss must actually touch the teeth, both teeth. The tooth in front of the floss, and the tooth behind the floss Floss EACH TOOTH multiple times with an up-down-up-down movement. We don't push the toothbrush across each tooth ONE TIME, and expect it to clean our teeth (at least I hope you don't). And we can't rub the floss against a tooth ONE TIME and expect it to clean our teeth. Brush your WHOLE tooth. All the way to the gumline Brush for a WHOLE 2 minutes . If you have never brushed with a timer, you will be shocked at how long 2 minutes is. Most people that THINK they brush for over 2 minutes, actually brush for an average of 34 seconds (true story). Big Cause of Cavities #3) Extreme lack of Spit (Xerostomia, or "Dry Mouth"), or Generic (or other) reason your teeth are soft There are not many people that actually have genetically (or for some other reason) soft teeth. But, if you think you do have soft teeth you can simply follow the advice below for people with Dry Mouth. As you learned above, Spit is SUPER important for strengthening our teeth. Causes of Dry Mouth Medications. Many are listed here Radiation to the head and neck area Chemotherapy Salivary Stones (hard pieces blocking the tube that connects where your spit is made and your mouth ) Some Health Conditions How to "fix" dry mouth Sometimes you can change to a different, non-dry-mouth-causing medication, or have a salivary stone removed. But most time we have to just deal the dry mouth and try to prevent the cavities it causes. Ways to combat Dry Mouth Do NOT suck on hard candy- this will cause tons of cavities as you bath your teeth is sugar all day You can suck on sugar free or Xylitol sweetened hard candy, in fact it is a good idea to do this Prescription Fluoride Toothpaste - ask us for a prescription Fluoride trays - we make a tray for you to put fluoride gel in and then give yourself a fluoride treatment every night at your home What Casuses Cavities

Detailed, Quality Dentistry New Patient Paperwork Please download and print the paperwork to fill out before your appointment New Patient Paperwork

Detailed, Quality Dentistry Our Services New Patient Exams Dental Cleanings Emergency Dentistry Tooth Colored Fillings Crowns and Bridges with 3D Scanner Tooth Extractions (Removal) Dentures and Partials Root Canals Crowns and Bridges Attached to Implants Dentures and Partials Attached to Implants Children Dentistry Dental Sealants Cosmetic Dentistry Tooth Whitening Jaw Pain Snoring and Sleep Apnea Crowns and Bridges Attached to Implants Sometimes a tooth can not be saved and needs to be removed (see Tooth Removal Page ). When this happens there are several options: 1) Leave a space or gap where the tooth was 2) Replace the tooth or teeth with Dental Implants (What this page is about) 3) Replace the tooth or teeth with a Dental Bridge (Learn More Here ) 4) Replace the missing tooth or teeth with a Partial (a "Partial Plate") or replace all the top or bottom teeth with a Denture (a "Full Plate"). (Learn More Here ) 5) You can also attach a Partial or Denture to Dental Implants to make them more stable (Learn More Here ) Den tal Crowns Attached To Dental Implants Steps to getting a Dental Implant: First lets have you come in and sit down to go over the options and make sure that this is the right thing for you If you decide that you would like Dental Implants then the next step is to meet with an Implant Specialist (a "Periodontist"). A Periodontist is a dentist that has gone to an extra 3 years of school AFTER dental school to learn about dental implants and gum surgeries. The Peiodontist will take a 3D x-ray and set up a time to remove your tooth (if it has not already been removed) and place your dental implant (or implants). There will be a healing time of 3-6 months. We can make a removable false tooth for you to wear while you heal. This false tooth is ready before the tooth is removed so you never have to go around without a tooth in your mouth. After the periodontist says everything is healed and ready you come to my office and we take a scan of your implant location. This appointment is about 20 minutes and pain free. The lab then makes the Implant Crown (the tooth that attaches to the implant) After 3-4 weeks the Implant Crown is ready and we will attach it to your implant for you. Your all done! Bridges Attached to Dental Implants The steps are all the same as for Dental Crowns (see steps above) The only difference is that there will be 2 dental implants places, and we will be attaching 3 (or sometimes 4) teeth to these two dental implants. This saves a lot of money, as you do not need to pay for as many implant screws.

Detailed, Quality Dentistry Our Services New Patient Exams Dental Cleanings Emergency Dentistry Tooth Colored Fillings Crowns and Bridges with 3D Scanner Tooth Extractions (Removal) Dentures and Partials Root Canals Crowns and Bridges Attached to Implants Dentures and Partials Attached to Implants Children Dentistry Dental Sealants Cosmetic Dentistry Tooth Whitening Jaw Pain Snoring and Sleep Apnea Root Canals How Can I tell If I need a Root Canal? A Root Canal is needed if you have an abscessed tooth. An Abscessed tooth would generally have the following Symptoms: The main give away is a tooth that hurts All By Itself. Meaning you are not eating, clenching, or putting anything cold or hot on it and the tooth is aching. Sometimes this will wake you up at night Sometimes a tooth that wakes you up at night may NOT be abscessed , but it may hurt, and wake you up, because you are clenching or grinding your teeth in your sleep. Other symptoms of a possibly abscessed tooth MAY include: The tooth hurts when chewing, or possibly just by touching it with your finger or tongue The tooth my have a sharp pain to cold temperatures that continues to hurt for over 10 seconds after the cold is taken off of the tooth The tooth may have a sharp pain to hot temperatures - and sipping cold water may help it feel better Sometimes an Abscessed Tooth will be VERY painful for a few days, and then go away . This pain is likely to come back in a few days or weeks if the Abscessed Tooth is not delt with An abscessed tooth will often show up on a dental x-ray as having a shadow around the root of the tooth There are many reasons that teeth can hurt, please see the full discussion on Dental Pain for other reasons your tooth may hurt. What causes my tooth to need a Root Canal? There are 4 main reasons why a tooth may require a Root Canal. 1) A cavity that got to the nerve 2) A crack that got to the nerve 3) A filling or crown is done on a tooth that had a cavity or a crack that was very CLOSE to the nerve. This may result in "root canal pain" a few days or weeks after the tooth was worked on. 4) Trauma to a tooth can damage a nerve, and the tooth may need to have a root canal done. What is a Root Canal ? The nerve of a tooth is in the center of the root of the tooth (or the center of each of the roots of a tooth for back teeth that have 2 or 3 roots). When a Root Canal is done, a small hole is made through the top of the tooth to get to the nerve. The nerve is then removed from the tooth, and a plastic material (called Gutta Percha) is placed in the space the nerve was. A filling is placed in the top portion of the tooth where the hole was made to get to the nerve space. On a back tooth, a crown is placed over the whole tooth to prevent the tooth from cracking. Where do I go for a Root Canal? I generally have you see a Root Canal Specialist (called and Endodontist) to have your root canal done. I used to do Root Canals regularly because I thought I was saving my patients money. Then I realized that my cost for a root canal was the same as the cost at the specialist office (because I take about 3-4 times as long to do a root canal as a specialist, so our cost end up being the same). So now I have the specialist do them. Lets face it, if it is all they do all day long they are going to be pretty good at doing it, and pretty quick at doing it. The Root Canals specialist that I refer to are in Winston-Salem, or Greensboro. Will I need a Crown after getting a Root Canal? On front teeth a filling may be all that is needed after a Root Canal is done. On front teeth that have a large cavity, or a large previous filling, a crown may be needed after a Root Canal is done. On back teeth, a crown is recommended after a Root Canal is done, as research shows that back teeth tend to crack over time if a Root Canal is done without a crown being done after. Are Root Canals Safe? In short, my opinion is yes. I have one in my mouth. Thousands of Root Canals are done each year, and I have never seen a case where any sort of health issue can be truly tracked down to a root canal. The material used for Root Canals has under gone millions of dollars of testing and has been proven safe. If you are interested, here is a page (by the National Root Canal specialist group) with multiple citations of the safety of Root Canals. The American Dental Association also states that Root Canals are safe here. All that being said, if you are not interested in doing a Root Canal, we can simply remove the tooth and either leave a space in your mouth, or do one of the tooth replacement options. Do Root Canals Always Work? No they don't. Nothing is perfect. In my experience the largest reason a Root Canal tooth does not last long term is because there really was not enough tooth to work with in the first place. I am always up front with you with what I think will and will not work for your teeth. If it looks like there is really not enough "good tooth" left to save the tooth, I will recommend removing the tooth, rather than having a Root Canal (See Tooth Replacement Options here ) Sometimes there are complications with the Root Canal precedure itself, and this causes the Root Canal not to work. Going to one of the Root Canal specialists that I recommend should have the chance of the Root Canal its self not working be minimized. The bottom line is, I will recommend for your tooth the same thing I would recommend for my tooth: that may be a Root Canal, or it might not. And in the end, the decision is 100% yours.

Detailed, Quality Dentistry Our Services New Patient Exams Dental Cleanings Emergency Dentistry Tooth Colored Fillings Crowns and Bridges with 3D Scanner Tooth Extractions (Removal) Dentures and Partials Root Canals Crowns and Bridges Attached to Implants Dentures and Partials Attached to Implants Children Dentistry Dental Sealants Cosmetic Dentistry Tooth Whitening Jaw Pain Snoring and Sleep Apnea Snoring and Sleep Apnea Content Coming Soon - Check Back November 2025 This is a Brand New Website and it is not quite finished yet. Thanks for your patience. If you have any questions about services please call us and we would be happy to answer them for you!